Press Releases
J. Armand Bombardier Canada donates $250,000 to elevate the understanding and treatment of high blood pressure at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute
A $250,000 grant from J. Armand Bombardier Foundation, Canada to the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute is taking aim at high blood pressure.
Researchers at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute are undertaking a three-year genome research project to investigate information from blood cells that will identify risk factors that lead to cardiovascular disease. Dr. Branko Braam and Dr. Yutaka Yasui are focused on how individual patients with hypertension react to high blood pressure medication.
Four to five in 20 people have high blood pressure. High blood pressure leads to heart disease, and blood cells are involved in the damage to blood vessels and the heart. Braam and Yasui’s research into gene chip technology will lead to a better understanding of what happens within the blood cells of patients with high blood pressure, and how treatment plans can be tailored to maximize the effectiveness of medication for each hypertension patient.
This Cardiovascular Gene Chip Research project, funded by J. Armand Bombardier Foundation through the University Hospital Foundation, is working toward the development of a winning strategy for patients who take high blood pressure medication.
“We are very enthused about the potential of this project to enhance treatment for patients who take medication for high blood pressure. Outcomes from this research could make a significant difference in the lives of people every day,” indicates Lyne Lavoie, Executive Director of the J. Armand Bombardier Foundation.
“There are no tools currently available to help researchers translate the tens of thousands of numbers generated by the genomics technique into a treatment plan,” explains Dr. Braam. “The Cardiovascular Gene Chip Research project is working to develop a system with special computer software that can analyze the vast amount of information and translate it into a resource that can be directly used by physicians to guide individualized treatments for cardiovascular patients.”
Dr. Braam has a longstanding dedication to the research of hypertension and the consequences for cardiovascular disease. He has also pioneered the assessment of gene activity in white blood cells using gene chips analyses in patients with high blood pressure.
